Behind The Last Laugh

Arkham Sessions | The day we met

First days were never easy. Like first days of school or starting a new job. First days at Arkham Asylum had to be the hardest of all first days.

Harleen Quinzel crossed the entrance to the loon house and shivered. Never in her life had she felt such heavy vibes; the air around her felt dense, cold, it was so hard to breathe. But she felt oddly happy, like something amazing and life changing was about to happen.

As she knocked the door to Dr. Leland's office she looked down at her attire and smiled, feeling professional and proud of her achievement. Her black pencil skirt fitted perfectly on her legs, the dark green sweater embracing her arms and torso protected her from the frozen surroundings, no strand of hair was out of place.

The door opened and a woman with dark short hair and ebony skin appeared before the young psychiatrist. Harleen cleared her throat and out of habit, put her glasses closer to her nose and extender her hand towards the doctor.

"I'm Dr. Harleen Quinzel. You must be Dr. Joan Leland. Nice to meet you." she said and Joan accepted the shake with a smile.

"Yes I am. I'm so glad you're finally here. We've been expecting you. Please come in and have a seat."

Harleen obeyed and walked happily inside, taking the seat she had been offered and crossing her hands on her legs like the classy lady she had worked so hard to be for the last few months.

The talk started with Harleen, talking about herself, her achievement, studies and interests, followed by Arkham's rules and squedules. The blonde felt confident and calm, thinking she had everything under control. However, her smile and temper changed at the sound of a name that turned her pink world upside down.

"The Joker." said Joan as she handed Harleen a heavy binder.

"Ex–excuse me?"

Dr. Leland smirked, "you will be assigned to the clown. Not a single resumé had fitted perfectly like yours to take this challenge. We've lost too many doctors already, Harleen. I trust you."

Harleen sighed and opened the binder before her. The air got stuck on her throat as her eyes caught sight of the mugshot. Those eyes pierced her soul like needles, his deadly expression sunk into her skin like a bullet. She felt the urge to run away and quit but she brushed those feelings off her chest and gave Dr. Leland her best smile.

"When do I start?"

•••

Her heart was beating so fast it felt like she could have a fulminant heart attack. Her hands were numb, her lips dry and her feet couldn't stop moving. She had only felt this panic attack once and Harleen wasn't willing to experience it again.

The most feared Gotham criminal was about to cross that door and she was defenseless. Her knowledge was the only weapon she had to survive but suddenly, all her studies had vanished from her brain.

She jumped inevitably when a knock was heard. Harleen got up and walked towards the closed door, her trembling hand struggling with the door locks. When she finally managed to open it, two bulky armed guards appeared on the door who entered the room without a word, followed by a green haired man escorted by another guard and a male nurse. She gulped, blue eyes glued to the ground.

Once the staff was gone, she slowly walked to the table and sat across the silent man. It was only then when she dared lift her face to meet eyes with the clown for the first time.

The feeling was indescribable. Joker's face was unreadable, he wasn't smiling, he didn't seem angry, he was extremely calm. Harleen was also expecting the man would be disheveled, however she could even perceive the faint smell of cologne and soap, his hair slicked back perfectly. She had to also admit the man was attractive. Very attractive.

Brushing those thoughts out of her mind, the doctor forced her lips to form a friendly yet professional smile and took a deep breath.

"I'm Dr. Harleen Quinzel. I've been assigned as your psychiatrist. Now, as you may know, everything we discuss here is confiden–"

"You are very beautiful," he said, his deep voice echoing through the walls, "and so young."

Harleen felt like she had been hit by a spell. She opened her mouth but no sound came out.

"What is it, my dear? Are you afraid of me?" he said, finally smiling.

The doctor blinked several times and looked down at the binder, opening it to reveal his file. Nothing. Not a single piece of information for her to start. A lump in her throat began to form when she realized she had no idea what to do and frustration flooded her mind when his voice filled her ears once more.

"She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies."

"Did you write that?" she heard herself ask, cheeks blushed and warm.

"No, puppet. I wish." he chuckled, tilting his head to the side making him look like an innocent puppy, "Lord Byron did. Don't they teach literature in high school anymore?"

Harleen cleared her throat and pulled her glasses up, pen in hand ready to write. "So, you like poetry, Mr. Joker."

"I am an avid admirer of beauty in all its forms, my dear." he leaned forward, eyes narrowed as he examined the blonde's face, as if studying a painting. "You for example are a perfect piece of art, kid. Call me Mr. J, by the way. Everyone does."

"And I'm Doctor Quinzel for you, Mr. J." she said sternly but kindly, "Not doll face, puppet, dear... Agreed?"

The Joker grinned and nodded. She was certain he would continue nicknaming her but somehow she wished he wouldn't stop.

He watched her carefully as she started. J knew perfectly well the usual procedure taking place on first sessions with new doctors:

Name? Joker
Age? Demons are ageless
Why are you here? Batsy

And so on.

He'd had far too many doctors, same shit, the same questions he knew by heart as well as the answers to drive them nuts. But Harleen was different and the clown couldn't take his eyes off her. No doubt the woman before him was gorgeous but there was something else that intrigued him, something intangible. Harleen listened and smiled at his annoying responses like she knew a secret, like she could read his troubled mind.

"Do you have a family?" she asked.

That is new. He thought. The Joker shook his head and grinned mischeviously. "I ate them all."

Harleen had to take a long swig from her cold coffee to force back a giggle. "Do you have any friends, then? Or have you eaten them all too?"

"Do you have many friends, Doctor?" then Joker asked and the naive girl shook her head. "You have one now, then."

Hell, he knew they were not destined to be friends.

•••

A short but meaningful One Shot for you all. Somehow I'm letting my creativity flow in these book but I've neglected my main story. I'm working on it guys.

Lots of love.